An Australian boy's fight against Neuroblastoma, a lethal childhood cancer

Monday, August 15, 2005

Dylan meets the New York Liberty's

I have to tell you what happened Friday night, it was very amusing. Tim and I ordered hamburgers at the Irish pub nearby for dinner later that night, and the waitress asked me how I would like mine done, I said “Melbourne” she looked at me confused and I couldn’t believe I had said that, I meant to say “Medium” . Tim thought it was hysterical, laughing and saying “Wow babe, you really are homesick!”

Saturday was extremely hot in New York, over 100, so we stayed indoors all day. Dylan started to have a phantom like fever, when I used the ear thermometer, one ear would say 38.2 and the other 37.5. We continued to take his temperature regularly all weekend, and it kept coming and going and being different in each ear.

On Sunday we had a fantastic day at Madison Square Garden with Paul Nicholls, watching the New York Liberty women’s basketball team. We entered the employee section and were escorted up to the court 2 hours before the game and given media passes, hats, t-shirts and basketballs. As the players were warming up, they came and each greeted Dylan and Cain, and signing basketballs for them. Dylan had an instant crush on Becky Hammon and announced she was a chicky babe, so she signed chicky babe on his basketball! We watched the dances practicing their routines and they also greeted us. Dylan was also allowed to sit at the time keepers desk and press the siren, he loved it! We had court side seats and the game was action packed with the Liberty’s winning by 9 points. During the game, Dylan appeared on the live telecast sitting in the crowd. After the game, we all got to pose for a photo on the court with the Liberty mascot Maddy. A huge thank you to the New York Liberty’s and Team Continuum for a very entertaining day.

Today at clinic Dylan had a blood transfusion as his hemoglobin was only 6.5, his platelets were 40 and he is still neutropenic. Thankfully Dylan has not lost any weight this week and is 17.1kg (last week he was 16.8kg) I told the doctor about the phantom fever and asked if I had done the wrong thing by not bringing him to urgent care over the weekend. The doctor said that if Dylan becomes unwell, starts chilling or if the temperature was consistent for more than an hour, to bring him in. The phantom fever came back during the transfusion and the nurses were getting 38 in one ear and 37.5 in the other, eventually the nurse returned with an old fashion mercury thermometer and said that it would be more accurate. The reading was 37.5, so she sent us on our way and gave us the thermometer to take back to the Ronald McDonald House. Tonight his right ear is saying 38.8 and the left is 37.5! The mercury thermometer says 37.4. It was suggested by one of the other mom’s that maybe he is developing an ear infection in one ear, so on Wednesday’s clinic visit I will ask them to double check again. His ears were checked today, and are done during every clinic visit during the routine physical exam, but maybe it is not visible yet. Dylan has never had an ear infection before and he’s not complaining of any pain. Anyway, I will be relieved if that is all it turns out to be.